PHS students sign peace pledge

Nearly 200 Plymouth High School students signed a peace pledge recently during the school's annual Day of Peace.

During the May 7 event, students vowed to not gossip or speak negatively about anyone and to seek ways to be kind and include others. The event was organized by the Eliminating Racism and Sexism Etcetera (E.R.A.S.E.) Club. Those taking the pledge signed their names on paper doves, which are on display at the school.

In addition, the group is selling bracelets with the saying "Love Conquers Hate," and will be having a bake sale to raise money for landscaping and a bench near the PHS Peace Pole.

The Peace Pole was erected on school grounds last spring and recently moved to its current location featuring a bench and landscaping.

The Peace Pole Project, the official project of The World Peace Prayer Society, began in Japan in 1955 with a man who dedicated his life to spreading the message "May peace prevail on Earth" in response to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Since then, Peace Poles have been erected all over the world. Jane Groblewski, PHS Spanish teacher and E.R.A.S.E. advisor, first saw one in Honduras and later at the United Nations in New York City.